Vinicius Jr and Real Madrid squad take drastic action after Ballon d'Or snub as 'winner revealed'
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Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham and the entire Real Madrid squad will snub the Ballon d'Or ceremony on Monday night, October 28.
It comes after it was leaked that the Brazilian would not win the award.
Vinicius Jr was the bookies' favourite to bag the prestigious accolade while his team-mates Bellingham and Dani Carvajal were also in the running.
However, it has since emerged that Manchester City star Rodri is now set to win the Ballon d'Or.
Vinicius Jr will not attend the Ballon d'Or ceremony on Monday
Reuters
It comes after a sensational season for the midfielder, who won the Premier League with City and the European Championship with Spain.
In both competitions, he was regarded as a key player and also won Player of the Tournament at Euro 2024.
Monday night will see the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner announcer at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France.
The event is usually attended by the biggest teams around the globe, making Real Madrid's decision not to turn up all the more astonishing.
Though they might not be set to win any individual awards, they are the frontrunners to win Team of the Year after winning the Champions League.
And with a squad full of superstars including Vinicius Jr, Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe, their absence will surely be felt at the event.
Only Rodri was Vinicius Jr's true competitor for the main prize, indicating that the 28-year-old will take home the Ballon d'Or.
The Spaniard, who is currently sidelined for the season with injury, could become the first Ballon d'Or winner to hail from the Premier League since 2008.
Real Madrid will not attend the Ballon d'Or ceremony this year
Reuters
On that occasion, Cristiano Ronaldo bagged the first of five Ballon d'Or awards he would win after winning the Premier League and Champions League with Manchester United.
Speaking about the award, Rodri said: “A Spaniard deserves to win. Spanish football deserves a Ballon d’Or winner. Spain deserves to win a Ballon d’Or.”
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Rodri is set to win the Ballon d'Or
PA
And City team-mate Ruben Dias went one further and insisted Rodri should take home the individual prize.
“Rodri should win the Ballon d’Or! He had an impressive season," Dias said.
“Not one… many in a row. He won the Euros, which is not found in every generation. Without a doubt, a special player."
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